The John McGahern Commemorative Evening with special guest Kevin Barry

The annual John McGahern Commemorative Evening celebrates the enduring legacy of one of Ireland’s greatest writers and his deep connection to DCU’s St Patrick’s campus in Drumcondra, where he studied in the 1950s. Hosted by the DCU School of English, the event reflects on McGahern’s continuing influence on Irish literature while bringing contemporary writers into conversation about craft, place, and the Irish experience.

This year’s special guest is Kevin Barry, among the most acclaimed Irish novelists and prose stylists of his generation. His short story collections, There Are Small Kingdoms, Dark Lies the Island, and That Old Country Music, have been instrumental in reviving interest in the form. His novels include City of Bohane, Beatlebone, Night Boat to Tangier, and most recently, The Heart in Winter - “a Western with Irish accents.”

Barry will join Darran McCann of DCU, Dave Rudden of UCD and Alex Dawson of Rutgers University in conversation about his work, his creative process, and the art of fiction writing at McGahern’s alma mater.